Matthew 24:36-39 (The Message)
"But the exact day and hour? No one knows that, not even heaven's angels, not even the Son. Only the Father knows.
"But the exact day and hour? No one knows that, not even heaven's angels, not even the Son. Only the Father knows.
"The Arrival of the Son of Man will take place in times like Noah's.
Before the great flood everyone was carrying on as usual, having a good time right up to the day Noah boarded the ark.
They knew nothing—until the flood hit and swept everything away.
He was seated behind a desk, and his well-shined silver hair was so stiffly sprayed that it wouldn't have budged in a hurricane-force wind.
This man is not new to the TV Preacher-market. In fact, he's made a living there for decades.
His show is all about "prophecy," and his content is usually just downright frightening. He uses pieces and snippets of scripture to "prove" things like why Iran harbors the antichrist, and that, "The End is Near."
He's fixated on Armageddon and the apocalypse. He has skillfully created an alternate reality in which he and his followers live. It just so happens that he is the center of that universe because he has all the knowledge.
I've never heard him point to the verse of scripture we read today.
I've never heard him remind us that Jesus said that even he himself did not know the day and the hour of his return.
Con men like this TV preacher have been around for centuries.
They make us cynical, and their biggest negative impact on Christianity is that they make taking Jesus' return seriously look like a joke.
But followers of Jesus are to have the character of people who wait with expectation.
Noah looked like a crazy man when he prepared for the flood that God had said would surely come. Recently, the movie "Evan Almighty" reminded us just how silly Noah must have looked to those around him, and even how silly he must have felt at times, himself.
I think the lesson that we should take from Noah...and Jesus...is that time is short for us all, no matter exactly what happens when.
The days of our lives are just a blink of history's eye, and the time to prepare, and expect...is now.
Jesus' followers should have the strength of knowing that anyone who claims prophetic knowledge of times and dates, or fixation on the exact events of the "apocalypse" stands in opposition to the words of Jesus himself.
But we should also know that Jesus himself tells us to "be ready."
What we have for sure is today. Let's watch and see what God may do.
Prayer: Remind us that no one knows the exact day and time, but to be prepared as disciples for whatever may come. Hold us in your heart and lead us by the Holy Spirit, we pray.
Tomorrow's Scripture: Matthew 26:40-44
2 comments:
AMEN!!
I am continually fascinated by people's obsession with the "END TIMES". I believe this emphasis on the apocalyptic drives more people away from Christianity than it draws in. The sad truth is that while so many are trying to figure out when the world will end they forget that their personal end may be lurking around the corner "like a thief in the night."
Agreed, Scott. I even when through a time myself where I was eating Rapture books alive. I was consumed by the idea that somewhere in those books I would find the information necessary to give myself some heads up. And I regrettably got so bogged down in reading opinions about the end times that I lost touch with actual Scripture. I came around soon enough, though, and thankfully so.
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